Are E-Bikes Safe For Young Teenagers?

[Jeremy McCreary]

I ride as though I'm invisible and give up my right-of-way to everything if I can by slowing down or pulling over and waiting for traffic or people to pass.

I'm always looking for someone to do something wrong and preparing to avoid them.

Much like my approach. Any pedestrian, pet, bicycle, or motor vehicle with any chance of crossing my path is assumed to be on the verge of doing something stupid — especially the first two. Plan A is always to distance myself from these incoming potential threats whenever possible.

Doing that on my mid-drive involves bumping assist, increasing pedal force, and sometimes downshifting all at once. That often suffices, but the on-demand throttle on my hub-drive is a much better tool for this job. This kind of throttle can be layered on top of any non-zero assist level while still pedaling. A second or two of throttle is all it takes.

 

[PCeBiker]

Plan A is always to distance myself from these incoming potential threats whenever possible.

I remember that from Drivers Ed class in 1980.
A film was shown to the class where they said to always give yourself a "space cushion", and stay out of the pack.

It gives you more time to react and you can see around the vehicle in front of you better to see those incoming potential threats that you'll have to deal with.

I also always have my head spinning left to right to look everywhere and check an intersection 3 times while rolling into it.

I've had people point and laugh at me for looking around so much.
I guess I look like Linda Blair??

I did ride my motorcycle like a complete Jackass when I was a teenager though.
I figured that I'd only end up in a single vehicle accident where I'd be the only one to blame.
I went off the the road at 140 kph and landed in a creek once, but I was unscathed and managed to get my motorcycle home before the cops caught me.

A guy stopped and and asked if I was OK.
Then he said you were going pretty Damn Fast around that corner weren't you ?!!
(It was a 40 kph corner. I made it through at 120, but 140 was a bit too fast. )

 

[Slaphappygamer]

I remember that from Drives Ed class in 1980.
A film was shown to the class where they said to always give yourself a "space cushion", and stay out of the pack.

Was the name of that movie Red Asphalt? That’s the movie they showed us in drivers ed in the mid 90s. There was one scene where the officer was scooping up brains in a plastic shopping bag.

 

[PCeBiker]

Was the name of that movie Red Asphalt? That’s the movie they showed us in drivers ed in the mid 90s. There was one scene where the officer was scooping up brains in a plastic shopping bag.

No, it was nothing like that. It was just an educational movie about driving.

Watching the accident scene movie was offered as punishment instead of jail time for drunk driving at the time.
Most people chose jail time.

EDIT: it wasn't jail time. It was instead of paying a fine for speeding or reckless driving.

I saw the accident scene movie when I was 15 at a motorcycle rally with my dad.

 

[PedalUma]

@kcoffeelover,
Although we do not know your region and it may not have ice, have him take the CHP eBike online instruction class, pass the test, and keep the certificate with him at all times. Brakes must be tested by a trusted adult each and every week. Stay far far away from cheap internet only bikes. Shops will not work on these and you will be stranded with a brick. I personally do not like moped style bikes. The pedaling position is all wrong and the pedals are like the arms on a T-rex. But if he must get one of those than go to a trusted Ride1Up local dealer to test a Revv1 HT. Do not skimp when it comes to quality. A better choice would be a T1ST torque sensor long range with a rack, fenders, and panniers so that it is useful. High school parking lots are full. An eBike is so much better for everyone. Only buy one that is fully assembled and tested by a professional bike mechanic. You do not want brake rub, shifting issues, or a front wheel to fall off. The brakes must be hydraulic discs. Invest in a quality lock. Also, pro tip: Have the shop use Muc-Off sealant from day one. You do not want him late for school again and again. Changing a rear hub flat, and it is always the rear, is more expensive than sealant injection. Make sure that they use silicone grease on the O-rings or the tube valves will clog open.

 

[PCeBiker]

. Make sure that they use silicone grease on the O-rings or the tube valves will clog open.

Just to clarify,..
Does the valve plug up so you can't pump up your tires, or does the valve start leaking?

 

[DaveMatthews]

The answer to the question is in direct relation to the teenager in question.
Darwin always wins...

 

[PedalUma]

Just to clarify,..
Does the valve plug up so you can't pump up your tires, or does the valve start leaking?

Some of each. You start with a slow leak that you cannot pump up very well than it only gets worse and worse. Air loss that cannot be pumped.
To avoid the problem, after valve removal and sealant injection, I blow out the stem, wipe with a Q-tip, and use the equivalent of the silicone plumbers grease in your kitchen faucet in the stem that works for years, but this stuff is made for high temp automotive applications and lasts longer. Then I replace the core and pump it up. The sealant lasts for the life of the tire and is four times better than Slime. We did a study. This stuff forms polymer strings that harden like a stone. We did have one fail out of about 300. It was a triangular three inch sharpened stake that Buffy might pull from her pocket to kill a vampire. That tire looked like it was hit by a .45.

 

[PCeBiker]

Some of each. You start with a slow leak that you cannot pump up very well than it only gets worse and worse. Air loss that cannot be pumped.

That happened to me, but I didn't notice any air loss.
I was checking my pressure before a ride and noticed that the tire didn't seem to want to take any air.

To avoid the problem, after valve removal and sealant injection, I blow out the stem, wipe with a Q-tip,

To fix my problem (I was aware of the clogging issue), I slowly unscrewed the valve core to let the air out, making sure it didn't fire outta the valve at me.
Then I cleaned the stem with Q-tips, washed off the valve core in the sink, and reinstalled it.

and use the equivalent of the silicone plumbers grease in your kitchen faucet in the stem that works for years, but this stuff is made for high temp automotive applications and lasts longer.

I've been using using my silicone brake grease all over my e-bike.
I caked my seat spring in the stuff.

Then I replace the core and pump it up.

I didn't replace the valve core.
I think that I put some SIL-GLYDE on it though, thinking it would be a good idea but I'm not sure, so I'm going to remove all my valve cores and grease them.
Proper core care is essential.

The sealant lasts for the life of the tire and is four times better than Slime.

I'm using Flat-out Sportsman formula which works the same way as Muc-Off.
In fact I think Muc-Off is Flat-out now or something like that?

 

[PedalUma]

The Soltara 2.5 is ideal for a teen. It is the same as a two but has a larger range capacity. A torque sensor makes it feel real.

 

[Slaphappygamer]

Haha, I've been looking at this bike for a kid. I didn't see the new version yet, though. Thanks for the headsup.

 

[m@Robertson]

If I am hit by a 70 lb moped riding at 20 mph on more, my survival chances are slim. Especially as it would happen on a MUP, where I should feel safe.

You are trying to argue that a 4000+ lb automobile is not more dangerous, then. That is ridiculous. You could be killed by a 2 year-old riding a little red wagon but nobody is seriously going to believe the danger is the same as a 30 mph automobile.

Will you agree that:

• It is America where most cars have a single occupancy

Maybe. I would think the per capita number is the one that matters and could easily be some other country entirely. But... in what way is this relevant to the discussion at hand? If I get hit by a single occupant or an SUV full of carpooling nuns... I am just as much a stain on the pavement

• It is the drivers' issue.

Not if you are a run'd over cyclist it isn't. the driver gets the blame and increased insurance rates. Maybe has to wear an orange vest and pick up trash for the next 10 weekends. The cyclist's consequences are vastly more severe.

I think you meant carbon dioxide CO2 (carbon monoxide CO is killed by the catalyst).

No. CO is reduced. Not eliminated. Go to any metro area - especially one in a valley - and look down into it.

Google Search

To ride an e-bike, you need electric energy. Unless it is generated in a nuclear powerplant, CO2 will be generated in a powerplant. Taken into account all the losses, more CO2 is generated in a conventional powerplant to generate electricity than produced by a car. Why didn't you mention the environmental pollution generated on the Li-Ion battery manufacturing and disposal?

Because this analysis is horse$hit. It has long since been debunked.
But you can find plenty of crackpot Youtubers and oil-industry-funded shills shrieking the opposite. Just like you can find flat earthers.

How much CO2 is emitted by manufacturing batteries?

It depends exactly where and how the battery is made—but when it comes to clean technologies like electric cars and solar power, even the dirtiest batteries emit less CO2 than using no battery at all.

climate.mit.edu

This spells out the comparison simply and one hell of a lot better via concrete terms and stats.

oh and also we have solar panels here in the USA. My bikes are powered by backyard solar and a 12kwh battery storage system. More and more solar power installations are coming online here and they tend to be colossal in size. Probably not on your part of the world given the difference in climate and terrain.

A huge $2 billion solar + storage project in California powers up

Eland 1, a 384-megawatt (MW) solar farm with a 150-MW/600 MWh battery storage system, is now online in Mojave, California.

electrek.co

The teenager wouldn't use the e-bike for their commutes.

Nonsense. It happens all the time.

Besides, I don't think EV cars have ever been a good idea.

Thats fine, but completely irrelevant to what I said.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

You are trying to argue that a 4000+ lb automobile is not more dangerous, then. That is ridiculous.

The car is on the road while I'm walking on the MUP or sidewalk.
I don't want to get killed or injured where I belong.

Several people here wrote they started as teenagers on motorbikes. Of course, they were riding roads not MUPs or bike paths (which didn't exist then), and certainly they were not riding on the sidewalk.

 

[PedalUma]

From the half of that conversation that I could view, I agree with @m@Robertson's points. And I sell a lot of eBikes to kid's in the 12-16 age group. Then the parents do not have to drive them everywhere in a 3,000 pound hunk of steel.

 

[Slaphappygamer]

From the half of that conversation that I could view, I agree with @m@Robertson's points. And I sell a lot of eBikes to kid's in the 12-16 age group. Then the parents do not have to drive them everywhere in a 3,000 pound hunk of steel.

It legit takes about an hour to go through the parking lot to pick up a high school kid. There are SO MANY cars. Students, staff, and other parents all picking up at the same time through a small parking lot. The school sells parking permits to “encourage” kids to use public transportation, but they’d rather drive.

 

[Roamers]

Then the parents do not have to drive them everywhere in a 3,000 pound hunk of steel.

Are there really many cars that weigh that little? Must be a California thing.

 

[Slaphappygamer]

My 2018 Mazda 3 hatchback is 3098lbs. These are sold all over North America and even other countries.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

My hilly area with year-round cycling weather is crawling with ebikes, and school-related transportation could well be the #1 reason.

All for that. But some parents made very poor choices regarding the ebikes they bought their kids, and many if not most were ineffective at turning them into safe, courteous riders on public streets and bikeways.

Now that school districts and city governments have stepped in to fill the training void, I believe the school kids have become less dangerous to themselves and others.

 

[Roamers]

My 2018 Mazda 3 hatchback is 3098lbs. These are sold all over North America and even other countries.

Comment was "many", not "any". I had an MG Midget that weighed 1600ish pounds.

Did some quick googling since the Midget, the lightest thing we've owned was a 1977 F100 pickup at around 3400#. Found it enlightening that our current Subaru Ascent weighs 500# more than our older Cadillac Deville. But I digress; back on topic.

 

[PedalUma]

My hilly area with year-round cycling weather is crawling with ebikes, and school-related transportation could well be the #1 reason.

All for that. But some parents made very poor choices regarding the ebikes they bought their kids, and many if not most were ineffective at turning them into safe, courteous riders on public streets and bikeways.

Now that school districts and city governments have stepped in to fill the training void, I believe the school kids have become less dangerous to themselves and others.

Many parents have purchased bikes similar to Macfox that are junk. Then the parents do not safety check them and the kids have no brakes. On these mechanically actuated brakes the inboard side needs to be regularly tightened but that access is blocked by the hub-drive. The head sets fail within a couple of months and kids remove the brake cutouts so they can do wheelies.